(Reuters) – Main League Soccer will have a look at increasing past 28 groups, mentioned Commissioner Don Garber in his state of the league deal with on Friday, however a shift away from shopping for expertise to producing and promoting it will likely be key to future development.

The MLS has lengthy supplied a soft residence for a number of the recreation’s largest names getting into the ultimate levels of their careers, from David Beckham to extra not too long ago Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Los Angeles Galaxy) and Wayne Rooney (DC United).

However for Garber essentially the most notable transaction was one going the opposite manner with the Vancouver Whitecaps FC promoting Canadian teenager Alphonso Davies to Bayern Munich for an MLS file switch payment of $22 million.

Garber famous that MLS homeowners spend greater than $100 million yearly on participant improvement and the league is realising the advantages of that funding, with academy gamers this season producing extra targets and extra assists than every other 12 months.

On the identical time Garber believes the MLS should steadiness that spending.

“We have to turn into extra of a promoting league,” Garber informed a information convention forward of the MLS Cup championship recreation in Atlanta on Saturday between Atlanta United and the Portland Timbers.

“All of us must get used to the truth that on the planet of world soccer, gamers get offered.

“We now have been shopping for for thus lengthy and as we’ve gone by way of the evaluation, it’s arduous to justify that funding and the funding that we have now to make in participant improvement.

“We’ve obtained to have one thing that turns this mannequin round, or else it’s going to be unsustainable.”

Garber held up Saturday’s MLS Cup closing as extra proof of the league’s development.

In simply their second season Atlanta have established themselves because the mannequin franchise, smashing data on and off the pitch.

This season, United grew to become the primary MLS group to attract greater than 1 million followers and averaged a league file of greater than 53,000 spectators a recreation, eight occasions drawing greater than 70,000.

An MLS Cup file crowd of greater than 73,000 is anticipated on Saturday, making it, in response to Garber, the best attended recreation in all of world soccer over the weekend.

These sorts of numbers have left cities queuing as much as safe a franchise.

Cincinnati will start taking part in subsequent season because the league’s 24th franchise with Nashville, Miami and Austin to observe.

Garber mentioned the league would award a 28th franchise throughout the subsequent 12 months and hinted that enlargement might not cease there.

“We should resolve if we need to go ahead past 28 groups,” mentioned Garber. “That could be a dialogue that’s going down, we’ll start to introduce the topic at our board assembly later subsequent week.

“I don’t anticipate there will likely be an announcement popping out of that however there isn’t any doubt in my thoughts that we will help greater than 28 groups in Main League Soccer.”